Jesse Duplantis

Jesse Duplantis
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Born	(1949-07-09) July 9, 1949 New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Church	Christianity (Radical)
Congregations served	Covenant Church
Offices held	President, JDM Int'l Headquarters
Title	Pastor, Covenant Church Co-Founder, Jesse Duplantis Ministries (JDM) Host, Jesse Duplantis TV program Co-Founder, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Co-Founder, Covenant Compassion Center (CCC)

Jesse Duplantis (born July 9, 1949) is an Evangelical Charismatic Christian minister based in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, and the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries. Duplantis is strongly identified with preaching a prosperity and abundance message, commonly referred to as the prosperity gospel which is described as unbiblical by most Christian denominations.

Biography

Jesse Duplantis, born on July 9, 1949, was raised as a Catholic and a Cajun in Houma, Louisiana. As a member of the band "Summer Wine," he performed under the stage name "Jerry Jaxon." [Citation needed.] He learned to play guitar, specifically blues guitar, from a neighbour on a one-stringed banjo. He earned a living as an opening act and back-up band for jazz groups. Duplantis also performed as a glam metal replacement guitarist for several high profile bands on tour. [Citation needed.] He came to Christ and was delivered of addictions after hearing Billy Graham speak about salvation and the love of Christ.

Evangelical career

Duplantis preached his first sermon in 1976. He was introduced by John Hagee as "The Apostle of Joy" on TBN, a phrase that became his professional PR slogan. He has been a full-time evangelistic minister since 1978, using his music and comic talent in his work. In the book "Close Encounters of the God Kind" Duplantis writes about his daily relationship with God, the reality of eternity, perspectives on Heaven and the depth of the compassion, forgiveness and love God has for humankind.

He is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries (JDM), which maintains an international headquarters in America and branches in the United Kingdom and Australia. In 1997, he and his wife, Cathy Duplantis, founded Covenant Church, a local outreach of JDM on the International Headquarters property in Destrehan, Louisiana. The JDM official website states: "Jesse Duplantis Ministries is an evangelistic ministry dedicated to reaching people and changing lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our vision is world evangelism and our desire is to see God bless everyone in every way." Duplantis' books have been translated into thirteen languages, including Braille, and are distributed worldwide. Duplantis appears on the internet via webcasts, a variety of Christian television stations such as the Trinity Broadcasting Network, Daystar, and LeSEA, in addition to secular networks inclusive of the ABC, NBC and CBS.

Covenant Compassion Center (CCC)

In the fall of 2005, Covenant Compassion Center was opened at the JDM International Headquarters in response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. JDM and the Covenant Compassion Center provided shelter for hundreds of relief workers, rented homes for displaced Katrina victims, provided finances for displaced people and churches in addition to distributing a spectrum of necessities inclusive of food, water, clothing, hygiene and household items.

Christians United for Israel (CUFI)

In early 2006, Duplantis was invited to become the first Louisiana Director of Christians United For Israel. He states, "CUFI has asked me to be the Louisiana Director, and it’s an offer I’ve accepted. I believe that Christians like us should stand for Israel and the Jewish people." A diverse group of Christian leaders met in San Antonio February 7–8, 2006 to form the organization, which is chaired by John Hagee.

Awards

In recognition of his "many years of effectively sharing God's message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the world," Jesse Duplantis was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from Oral Roberts University in 1999.

Published works

Filmography

• Covenant Rider

External links

• Jesse Duplantis Ministries Online (Official website)
• Jesse Duplantis Sermons Delivered at Kenneth Copeland Believers Conventions
• Itinerary of Jessie Duplantis (from ChristianHappenings.com)
• Jesse Duplantis on Myspace
• TV.com Trivia on Jesse Duplantis
• Full length video of Duplantis "Close Encounters of the God kind"
• http://www.tv.com/jesse-duplantis/person/41917/biography.html (TV.com bio)
• http://www.charismamag.com/display.php?id=12885 (Charisma + Christian Life Magazine, May 2006)
• http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0243230/bio (IMDb Mini Bio by Joseph Tura)